Guess who's back, back again! 😏 𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐯𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐞𝐫𝐭 makes his comeback in @tourofnorway! 🤩 Read what Wout has to say about it. ⤵️
The long-awaited comeback is here! Wout van Aert celebrates 'tentative' return in Tour of Norway
CyclingFriday, 17 May 2024 at 13:30
Wout van Aert will make his long-awaited comeback in the peloton at the Tour of Norway (May 23-26). Team Visma | Lease a Bike announced this Friday afternoon via a press release. For the 29-year-old Belgian, it will be his first race since his severe crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen.
Van Aert suffered a heavy fall during the Flemish spring classic while descending towards the Kanarieberg, breaking his sternum, collarbone, and several ribs. This immediately ended his spring season and dashed his hopes of participating in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, the two cycling monuments he had prioritized this spring. After weeks of rehabilitation, Van Aert is now making his comeback in Scandinavia.
Van Aert heads to Scandinavia without expectations
“It wasn’t always easy to be sidelined, but luckily, I can now look ahead again,” Van Aert said in the press release from Visma | Lease a Bike. “I’m looking forward to pinning on a race number again. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been able to train more and more, but that’s still different from racing. Therefore, my main goal is to test myself and see how I perform in a race. Without expectations.”
Continue reading below the tweet.
Sports director Merijn Zeeman, who will likely be replaced by Jacco Verhaeren, also keeps the pressure off one of his best riders for the comeback. “It’s great that Wout is back with the team after his severe crash. He starts without any pressure to perform. For him, this is a good moment to test himself again in a race. We don’t yet know what the rest of his race program will look like. We’ll see that in the coming weeks.”
In Norway, Van Aert will be joined by his teammates, including Dutch riders Bart Lemmen, Koen Bouwman, Tijmen Graat, and Menno Huising. Per Strand Hagenes will also be eager to perform well on home soil. For Bouwman, it will also be his first race since withdrawing from the Tour of Romandie. The 30-year-old winner of the Coppi e Bartali general classification had to skip the Giro due to illness.
Selection Visma | Lease a Bike Tour of Norway 2024
Wout van Aert
Bart Lemmen
Koen Bouwman
Tijmen Graat
Menno Huising
Per Strand Hagenes
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Latest Comments
- I wish we could have seen him try. He'd absolutely get dropped before Pogi overtakes his domestiquesVeganpotter10-12-2024
- Talk is cheap! Next year barring crashes with a healthy team... all well be on track! Some need to talk to make a headline!mootman27-11-2024
- I do not see this event listed on HBO Max Sports Online? Can anyone confirm? Thanks!
MrYuck23-11-2024 - It seemed that he was focusing forward at the time of the crash, after seeing a quick video snippet. But one thing I think he should focus on more intently is breaking a bad habit he has, right now. And that is his constant looking over his shoulders. He does that so much, that I am very sure it is not good for him. Simply watch videos of the greats of CX and you will see very little of that constant looking over their shoulders. That is a behavior that betrays a bit of insecurity on his part. He shouldn't be so concerned, incessantly, about what is over his shoulder. He needn't worry they didn't all disappear. He neds to keep his focus more ahead of himself, and he needs to pay a bit more attention to himself, in a confident manner. It is very frustrating to watch, because it is apparent that he has a lot of potential, and is in much better shape thwan many of his competitors, but the mental game needs to be sharpened more, because that part of strategy plays a huge part in the final results
reemmo022-11-2024 - hahahaha love this shit! I didnt even watched the race, but reading all the gossip articles of how stupid this is!Zatoichi19-11-2024
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024
- This is not a gravel race. UCI fail, from the surface they are on to team tactics. In what country was the first "gravel race" in what country is the most popular gravel race? Go with the race model that created the discipline.
Barnes127411-10-2024 - And don't forget he has now won 4 of the big 10 races (Grand tours, Monuments and WC/OG) in one year with a chance to make that 5. (5 has only been done once before)Joostmehrtens05-10-2024